Generally, an ice-making assembly for making ice is installed in one of a main body of the refrigerator or a door of the refrigerator to make ice using cooling air.
The ice-making assembly includes an outer case defining an exterior thereof, an ice-making unit provided in the outer case, a water tank for storing water that will be supplied to the ice-making unit, and an ice bank for storing the ice made by the ice-making unit. The ice bank is received in the outer case to be capable of going in and out of the outer case.
The ice-making assembly further includes a tray in which the water is frozen and an ice-separating unit that is connected to the tray to separate the ice made in the tray from the tray.
The ice-separating unit includes a lever that is designed to rotate by a user and a power transmission assembly for transmitting rotational force of the lever to the tray.
When the user intends to use the ice made in the tray, the user rotates the lever.
Then, the tray connected to the power transmission assembly is twisted while rotating so that the ice made in the tray is separated. The ice falls into the ice bank.
Subsequently, the user withdraws the ice bank frontward to use the ice stored in the ice bank.
Meanwhile, as the process for separating the ice from the tray is repeated, moisture is infiltrated into the power transmission assembly.
When the infiltrated moisture is frozen, the power transmission assembly may not normally work due to the frozen ice.
Accordingly, the user has to excessively apply force to the lever to operate the power transmission assembly.
This may cause the damage of the lever.